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NHL Notebook: Stars must decide on Jason Robertson amidst injury plagued playoffs, Sharks ‘listening’ on 2nd overall
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Photo credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Alicia LaBine
May 7, 2026, 19:00 EDTUpdated: May 7, 2026, 17:52 EDT
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The Dallas Stars are navigating the offseason after a disappointing loss to the Minnesota Wild in Round 1. Priority number one for general manager Jim Nill is finding a way to tackle the contract situation of Jason Robertson.
“So my plan is to reach out to his agent in the next week or so,” Nill told Dallas media. “That’s our focus, to get him signed. He’s a big part of our team, and we’ve drafted and developed him.
“45-goal scorers don’t grow on trees,” Nill added.
According to Puckpedia, the Stars will have $11.1 million in cap space next year as they attempt to find a way to re-sign their superstar forward.
During his 45-goal season, Robertson also logged 96 points and finished fifth in the league in power play points with 41, falling just behind his teammate Wyatt Johnston who had 42.
His current contract is one of the best deals in the league, as he has been signed for four years at a $7.75 million salary. During this time, Robertson has not missed a single game, and has scored 155 goals and 365 points.
Robertson is 26-years-old until July 22, meaning he is not eligible to become an unrestricted free agent until next offseason. If there is a stall in negotiations the situation could go to arbitration.
Other teams, however, could pressure the Stars by sneaking in and presenting Robertson with an offer sheet. In this scenario, the Stars organization could take compensation for the winger, or elect to move some pieces around and find a way to make more space for his upcoming contract.
As the cap rises heading into a weak free agency class, it puts the Stars in a vulnerable position surrounding the Robertson contract.
Mikko Rantanen’s current deal is $12 million, as he was a hot commodity on the market at the time of his contract, and the Stars made a major push to acquire him. Now though, this puts them in an interesting position regarding the Robertson contract, as he will be looking for around the same amount.

Rantanen tore MCL at the Olympics

Amidst the discussions about Robertson’s looming contract situation in Dallas, Nill also revealed that Rantanen had suffered an MCL tear during the Winter Olympics.
When the team came back after the Olympic break, they were without the Finnish forward until March 28, as he took some time away from the team to tend to his ailments.
In hindsight, Nill said he would have preferred if Rantanen had received more rest heading into the playoffs. They also announced that he will not be requiring surgery.
Despite the injury, Rantanen recorded 22 goals and 77 points in the 64 games that he was available for. In the series against the Wild, he notched over a point per game, with seven in six, but his plus/minus of negative eight was not a helpful stat to the team’s success.
“I never really thought he was himself,” Nill said about the forward’s play ensuing his injury.
Since 2018, Rantanen has only had one season of production that fell below a point-per-game. His career totals of 316 goals and 782 points solidify him as one of the best forwards in the league.
Nils Lundkvist also suffered major injuries this year. He fractured his leg and ankle in the regular season, and then a facial laceration in playoffs after taking Michael McCarron’s skate to face in Game 4.
Nill said Lundkvist was a “very lucky man,” as he only suffered a concussion as a result of the laceration.
The Stars finished third in the league this season with a 50-23-9 record and a .683 point percentage. This year was their first time being eliminated in the first round since 2022. Twice they were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final.

Sharks ‘open to listening’ on second overall pick

General manager Mike Grier and the San Jose Sharks saw some major luck at this year’s draft lottery.
The Sharks were slotted at ninth best odds to win the first overall, and they ended up climbing seven spots to claim the No. 2 pick in the draft, the biggest jump of the draft.
Will the Sharks keep the pick, or will they decide to take a different approach?
“I’m always open to listening to what’s out there,” Grier told reporters after the lottery.
This will be the third time in the last three years that the Sharks have picked in the top three. In 2024, they selected Macklin Celebrini first overall, who just put up a 115 point season as a 19-year-old, and in 2025, they selected Michael Misa second overall, who had 9 goals and 21 points in 45 games this year.
As a team that is already young and exciting, and was a playoff contender at points during this season, adding a new top prospect provides San Jose with elevated expectations for next season.
Assuming the Toronto Maple Leafs take Gavin McKenna, there are a handful of exceptional picks that will be available to the Sharks at No. 2. Ivar Stenberg seems like the obvious choice, as he has been projected second overall on almost every analysts’ mock drafts.
Stenberg had 11 goals and 33 points in 43 games with Frölunda HC in the Swedish Hockey League this year as a 17-year-old playing amongst men in their primes. Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis guesses that the Sharks will keep close tabs on Stenberg during the IIHF World Championship to see what kind of impact he can make surrounded by NHL players.
Chase Reid, Keaton Verheoff, and Carson Carels, are other names that will be circulating around for Grier and the Sharks, as they desperately need a defenseman who can turn into their No. 1 guy. 
Ellis wrote about Reid being the top blueline choice for the Sharks.
“Reid is an excellent skater, has a solid 6-foot-2 frame and is always involved at both ends of the ice. His confidence is incredible, too. Reid’s name has been mentioned by a few scouts as a legitimate No. 1 pick thanks to his outstanding puck skills and competitive nature…
“The big question here, though, is whether the Sharks view Reid as a true No. 1 defenseman. Because when you’re taking a blueliner with the second pick, you better be darn sure he’s someone capable of changing a franchise. He might be the only defender in this draft class with that potential, although both Carson Carels and Keaton Verhoeff have received love as top-five prospects this year.”

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